"Remind me to talk to Conden and not have you guys work the Christmas shift again. This is becoming a bit…pathological."
It was unusual to see Bernie caught off guard, a man who had undoubtedly seen everything there was to see when it came to stranger-than-fiction scenarios. But nonetheless, the Coroner stared at the significantly decomposed leg they had expertly laid out on a blanket in the trunk of the Galaxie, then brought back to San Francisco in lieu of having Bernie drive out.
Securing the scene would have to wait until tomorrow, when staff was available once again and hopefully the churning waters had settled down to a more manageable level. Even then Mike doubted they'd find much but he'd make sure the effort would be put in place regardless.
"I didn't make him do it. He came up with the idea himself…", the Lieutenant countered and shoved his hands into his fresh set of dry, and warm, black dress slacks, then shrugging at the absence of his partner, "He turned into a human popsicle shortly after, but not until he was done rubbing in the fact that he…heroically salvaged some prime evidence."
Glancing down at the leg, Bernie managed a warm smile, shaking his head before his brown eyes settled on Mike again.
"I'm pretty impressed myself. Next time just make sure you two don't inadvertently land on my table as well. Gotta give it to those young guys though…that enthusiasm."
"Well, I do. But I'd be a lot happier not having to worry about him drowning or catching pneumonia.", Mike scolded in halfhearted aggravation and pointed his chin at the leg, "So what do you make of this?"
Adjusting his facemask and rubber gloves, Bernie pried at some of the exposed flesh along the calf region, before running his trained fingers over the head of the femur where the same clean cut seemed to have occurred like it did in the other leg.
"It's definitely female. By the looks of it, this leg has spent more time in the water than the other one. Tissue is starting to dissolve and there is significantly more scavenging activity going on. Could be a mix of fish and seagulls. We have a partially exposed tibia and patella and the foot was getting ready to separate from the ankle. Another couple days in the water and the whole leg may have come apart."
"Any idea on the time of death?"
Mike's question was answered with a faint shrug, as Bernie leaned over to examine some of the flesh that had turned brown and spongy from exposure. Then, as if he needed to take a closer look, he reached for a nearby magnifying glass, staring intently at the section along the top of the femur again, mumbling something Mike couldn't understand.
"What is it?", the Lieutenant pried, shifting from one foot to the other when the cold air of the morgue began to penetrate his bones all over again.
"I'm not sure. I guess…what I am seeing doesn't make much sense, Mike…"
"In what way?"
Sensing the urgency in his question, Bernie glanced up sheepishly, a deep frown forming on his forehead.
"Yeah, I am positive that this leg has spent more time in the water than the other one but there's something else. I am…I am seeing signs of freezer burn."